Going Nuts
by Cat Fyre
Summary: Astrid is mad because Ruffnut is stealing her spotlight. Ruffnut flirts with Hiccup. Hiccup has to decide between Ruffnut and Astrid, and Snotlout is drowning in his love for Ruffnut. Romance is damn difficult, and Snotlout, Ruffnut, Hiccup and Astrid have to find that out the hard way.
1. what was weird about that night

**Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD**

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"Hey, stop staring at him Ruff! He's too good for you!" said Tuffnut while hitting his twin in the head, who's been having quite a crush on Hiccup.

Snotlout just flinched. That was the thing. Since three months now had Ruffnut been staring at Hiccup nonstop, and he hated it. Two years ago, when they were 13, he saw a random village boy just flirting with Ruffnut, and she seemed scared, obvious she wanted to reject him. There and then had Snotlout decided he was going to be her Viking. He had gone up to the boy and said  
"Hey, stop that you idiot! Don't you see she doesn't like you?!" and the boy had run away, and Ruffnut sneaked him a blushing thank you. Just one day Hiccup actually found Ruff's helmet when it was lost in the forest, she took it from him and then blushed. From there on Snotlout knew she had no feelings for him.

_Bang!_ The ugly thought had just exploded in his mind._ She doesn't like you!_ the thought whispered. _She doesn't care!_

Snotlout shook his head as if hoping to shake the thought off, but that only made it stronger. It kept running back and forth.

"Snotlout, are you even listening?" A hand was placed on Snotlout's shoulder. He awoke from the ugly day nightmares and looked Astrid in the face. She was pretty, but not pretty enough for him. Ruffnut wasn't hot or anything, but that was exactly what made her so much hotter than Astrid. He would have normally made a flirting remark at Astrid, but he now decided it was best to stop from hiding of himself and face the truth. He brushed her hand off his shoulder and stayed motionless as Astrid gave him a shocked look. He never even really liked her anyway, now that he thought about it. Astrid was just the side entertainment, the side life purpose, the nothing. All that thinking that he needed her was just because he was jealous of Hiccup, jealous of everything. And now he had even taken his girl!

"Yeah, um, I am, just, what did you say again?" Snotlout stuttered at Astrid without any expression.

"I said that we should stop training now and go for dinner already." Astrid explained, shrugging at the monotone voice.

"Fine" he answered, still kind of lost in his own thoughts.

They all were walking to the main hall, when Hiccup noticed something odd about Snotlout. That boaster of a cousin was actually _quiet_. That seemed rather weird, but when he asked his cousin if he was OK, Snotlout just answered that he was fine, but his voice had made that little high twitch. Hiccup could hear that twitch only in extremely rare occasions, and it was a sign that his cousin was about to have a ton of dust blown into his eyes, or in other words, he was about to burst out into hysterical crying. Hiccup had seen him do that only three times since they were ten, and he was sure that whatever had upset Snotlout so bad, he was not going to talk about it.

They were all, except for Snotlout, who had only stared at his plate, eating and talking about what did they do wrong in training, what new tricks they could teach their dragons and about the new rumors in Berk, and playing the I-heard-game. Tuffnut just had a flashback of a really good rumor.

"You know what I heard? I heard that Spitelout's wife was not a female of Berk, but that she was stranded on the shore one day, and that the first person she saw was in fact Spitelout."

"Wow" said Ruffnut with a whispering voice which brought Snotlout's eyes and ears onto her beautiful face "I heard that Helegna, when she married Spitelout wore a dress that only Vikings could have made and which she had brought with her when her ship stranded on our shore. Now here comes the freaky part: Although the dress was Viking style, our dress master knew no tribe that could have made the dress so perfect and beautiful, even for a wedding dress. And Snotlout's mother refused to tell the chief what her tribe's name was, she just fiddled with a combination of letters. They say she came from a secret tribe that was not known to any other Viking race!"

The other teens around the table made curious faces, except for Tuffnut and Snotlout, because the smaller of them mad at his twin for bringing out a better rumor and winning the I-heard-game, and the dark haired of them was too busy staring at Ruffnut like she was a creature of heaven or something. Only Astrid's skilled eyes could make out the glare Snotlout gave Ruffnut. She felt relief coming up in her, but also there flashed past a tiny bit of jealousy. He used to give _her_ glares like that. He used to crowd around _her_, trying to impress _her_. _Astrid_, not Ruffnut. She was _so_ much prettier than that little girl that behaved like a_ boy_. The flicker of jealousy grew stronger and hotter, until it came to be a racing burst of fire. She tried to keep calm and kept telling herself _That's a good thing, you won't have to be annoyed by him anymore! _But there was another, naughty thought bubbling up in her head, one she had no control over, one that battled and fought against her forced thought.

You know you don't want to be ignored, it whispered, you like it!

Hiccup sat up straight. No way, he thought, Snotlout is not staring at Ruffnut like this! But then he saw the way Astrid was trying to keep her anger down, and was that jealousy? Awkward, he thought as he saw the little light in Ruff's eyes when she looked at him. Were he and Fishlegs the only normal people in here? That was one thing he did not like about being a teenager. Relations were so complicated, and they totally changed any person. ANYBODY. It was like a detective story, like a mafia. Anybody could be hit, and anybody could be the next victim. The thought that even he could be the victim of an untruthful love scared him, freaked him out. He didn't want to be changed. Not the Astrid was, and definitely not the dramatic way Snotlout had changed. No! No way!

"I think I'll be flying Hookfang out tonight. See you in the morning." Snotlout stood up, and went out of the big Hall. Hiccup had noticed that little high twitch again, and he was staring to get really worried about his normally so tough cousin. Hiccup looked at Astrid as Snotlout closed the door.

"What's wrong with him all day?" asked Ruffnut innocently.

"I don't know, maybe… uh…I have no idea." Fishlegs tried to answer her question. Tuffnut did his thinking face, Astrid just looked mad and Hiccup shrugged. No, Snotlout did definitely not like Ruffnut, otherwise he would have just asked her out or something. No, it was something else…

Snotlout was just mad right now. Mad, lost and hopeless. He hated that feeling. It just made him feel weak. Weak and overpowered. Awful. Ruffnut was a beautiful girl, and she was everything in a girl he needed. Cheerful, funny, tough, mean, pretty, naughty and... well... Ruffnut. He always seemed to get lost in her beautiful eyes, sink into her silky smile. Argh! Why did love have to be so complicated?! _One thing, make your mind clear. Ok; You like Ruffnut. Ruffnut likes Hiccup. Hiccup likes Astrid. Astrid likes him back. That's it, keep it simple, _he told himself, _so all you need to do is get that thing between Hiccup and Astrid going, and Ruffnut can realize Hiccup has no feelings for her._But he didn't want that. For some reason his heart told him to play the game fair. No cheating. And no playing secret games. But truth.


	2. Dusty eyes

**Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD**

**this chapter is king of short, but still enjoy**

Hiccup went out of the big Hall only half an hour after Snotlout had left. He had no interest in singing stupid songs with the others or watching the grownups almost drink themselves up to Valhalla. No, he wanted just some good time alone with Toothless. In the forest maybe, out alone, walking alone, maybe even without his dragon. He was in a really good mood for a walk right now. He entered the forest just after he had given Toothless his fish. That would keep him busy for quite a time. Hiccup was completely silent as he leapt past two low bushes and drove away a few branches which were stuck exactly where he planned his face to be. Well, that's a forest and there is nothing he could do about it. Then, he was just gaining speed and almost started to hum a song in his mind, he heard faint noises. Small, weak, heartbreaking noises. As if someone was sobbing. Sobbing quietly and wanting to be unseen. Typical Viking. No signs of weakness in front of others. He gently and quietly brushed aside a few birch branches and went to hide under a hazelnut bush. Out of there he could perfectly observe the thing that most shocked him.

There, with his father's pet Terror Fang on his lab, sat Snotlout, whispering something into Fang's ear. Hiccup could, if he listened carefully, hear what Snotlout was talking about, with his voice barely a trembling whisper.

"Gods, Fang, what am I supposed to do? I can't make the first move, can I? I mean, look at those eyes, I could drown in them! They're so beautiful. Remember the day she came over asking if I could lend her an arrow or two? That was just last week. You saw her, didn't you? Don't you think she's beautiful? She's the prettiest girl I've ever seen! No, she's the prettiest Viking alive! And if that arrogant blondy thinks she's the hottest girl of Berk, then she's way off! I mean you saw that smile, didn't you? That was just stupid and plain stupid again! Fang, what the hell am I supposed to do with all of that? I don't know what to do or say, and I'm just tired of being the tough guy. You know what I mean, don't you? You remember your owner saying * A Viking is a Viking and not a crying baby, like perhaps your cousin* or *Oi lad, Viking don't cry. If they have a problem, then they go and beat up the problem and it's all solved*. How am I supposed to "beat up the problem" when I exactly know that that's wrong and that if I do that she's gonna hate me? Sad think you can't talk, buddy. How the hell could I just get onto her? How?"

The tough boy's face tightened with an expression of pain and darkness, sorrow and no hopes. He sat down by Fang, patting the Terrible Terror's neck. And Hiccup watched with disbelieve that Snotlout wiped his hand across his eyes, and that his small sobs became louder, until they grew from barely hearable ones to one one could simply not overhear within three Northern Beard lengths (small Berk measurement, one Northern Beard length is equal to two feet). It was a heartbreaking sequence of sobs, something that tore Hiccups heart apart like only few things of the earth could. Snotlout just sat there, hands tugged around his legs and face buried in his knees. Hiccup could not watch. He felt like he shouldn't be there. He felt like he had to go away, and so he did. He left his cousin alone in his mystery and pain, and he felt quite guilty afterwards.


	3. she never knew he could be like that

**Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD**

Astrid could summarize her thoughts of Ruffnut in three words: _Ruffnut, you little twit_. She had stolen her admirer. The one that would always hit on her even if Hiccup had his eves on another girl. The one who would let her lean against him and cry out her tears if no one was there. Her childhood friend and her axe she would swing, her dog she would beat and who would still come back, even if she pretended that she rejected him. Snotlout. Snotlout, her dog. He banged on her and she always made him feel it that he was not what she wanted. She never thought she would like him. No, she always had thought her heart was beating for Hiccup. But Snotlout's absence had made her realize how much she loved her dog. She missed him. He had made her feel so wanted, so popular, but now she felt ignored, and that hurt her heart. Squeezed it together by the thought that he had given up on her. By the thought that he had left her for Ruffnut just made her mad. Snotlout was hers, and Astrid was not ready to give up so easily. Gaining Snotlout back from Ruffnut was going to be difficult, because from what Astrid's skilled eyes had noticed he was head over Yak boots in love with that little blond Rag doll with three braids. But maybe he would still have love saved up inside for Astrid, and when she would have flirted with Snotlout a little he would be fully in her hands again, and she could return to Hiccup. But did she want that? Did she really want Hiccup? He never made her feel like she was special, because she was special. Snotlout did make her feel that way. He flattered her, he was the one to treat her like a girl. He treated her like a girl, aware of her mental strength and her tough wills and her beauty, aware of the facts and treating her like he knew it. He was maybe not the most handsome of all boys although he had strength matching muscles, but behind his showing off and self-valued outside she was sure he hid a core she had not noticed before, and which she still had jet not fully understood. She guessed it was that something inside him that Astrid wanted to feel, to see coming out and that made her heart beat up in excitement. Yes, she was going to do this! She was going to get her man back.

Ruffnut had just stepped out of the house after a good long sleep. She was going to need that energy this night. Because, like every second month it was Mead day. That meant that after sunset everyone would gather in the Main Hall and almost drink themselves to death, and they had to watch. It was pretty exciting since when the Vikings were drunk they started to have drinking contests and throwing food, singing, jumping on tables, knocking over all kinds of stuff and doing so much amazing destruction! She loved it! And Ruffnut made her way to Gobber to say him hello and to ask him if they need her to help carving more Mead mugs. Everyone who had nothing to do usually joined in either making Mead mugs (those things break quite often under the pressure of a drunken Viking's fist) or transporting at least 200 barrels of mead from the brewery to the main hall. Some even got more firewood and other took down all of the dangerous weapons on the wall so that no one would die this night. Ruffnut stopped in front of Gobber's door when she heard voices. One was Gobber's, and the other deeper one was probably Stoick's. She put her ear to the door to listen to the conversation.

"Today is Mead Day, and we'll need at least ten more mugs and two more barrels than usual." reported Gobber to the chief.

"Yes, alright, our proud future generation will have their first tastes of mead this night! Maybe you could get Ruffnut and Snotlout to do this for you, since Hiccup is not quite a lot of use, Fishlegs would read instead, Astrid would probably just play with the knife, Tuffnut and Ruffnut cannot be paired because of obvious reasons and Tuffnut and Snotlout would together do anything but work. And I think it would keep both busy for the rest of the day. If only my dear brother won't get too drunk that he would get violent. But he probably will, that's just fellow Spitelout. Drinks like no body else." Stoick let out a deep chuckle.

"Alright now Gobber, get the two kids here and don't tell them a word, otherwise Hiccup and Snotlout would probably make a run. They're scared of drinking and Spitelout's passion for Mead is not really helping his son. Well then, I'll see you soon." Stoick added and Ruffnut could hear him walking towards the door. She, still highly amused by all of the said, made her way in acting very innocently.

"Hello Gobber. You need some help with the preparations? I heard you're in charge." she asked and he looked up.

"Yes, if you could just get Snotlout over here. I have quite a work for the two of you." Ruffnut headed straight for Snotlout's house where she found him to his knees in dirt trying to rescue his mother's carrots from a flood. Ruffnut laughed out loud as she saw what had happened. Hookfang had dug a hole and that hole had lead a small part of the tiny river flowing by their house to change course and overflow their garden. The scenario was priceless. Snotlout, sweating and dirty standing in wet brown mud, Hookfang crouched out of reach for the water, delightfully watching his owner digging carrots out of the mud. Snotlout was cursing under his breath, murmuring that he knew his dragon had never liked him and building a wall of clay, soil, sticks and pebbles to block off the water.

"Hey Snotlout! Gobber wants you and me to help him for the Mead Night preparations!" Ruffnut shouted.

"H-Hey Ruffnut. I'm almost done here. J-just a minute." Snotlout stuttered back and blushed, but almost managed to hide it by looking down. Almost. He jumped in the stream and got out of the freezing water quickly, but now clean. He walked up besides the pretty girl and they made their way to Gobber's house again. Ruffnut noticed he was quite stiff and her eyes caught his cheeks changing color. She never would have guessed he could be like that too.


	4. Each thread leads to an end

Astrid flipped her small braid over her shoulder and took up a axe, made her way to Hiccup's house. She needed to ask him something. She raised her gloved hand and knocked on the door of the wooden house.

"Hiccup? You home?" she asked through the door.

"Come in Astrid" she heard his faint voice from inside. Astrid pushed open the door and entered the gloomy inside of the first room. There stood Hiccup with the usual sleepy look of the morning, Toothless sleeping by the door. Astrid made her way through the chaos of Hiccup's inventions and grabbed the now awake boy hard by his shoulder.

"Do you love me Hiccup?" she asked straight forward into his face.

"Of course I do Astrid, I love you more than anything else!" he exclaimed and his eyes told her he spoke the truth.

"If it's about Ruffnut, I never liked her. She is a good friend but I have no interest in her, I just don't know how to tell her. And that girl should better realize who her true dog is."

"Really? You think that Snotlout and Ruffnut…?" asked Astrid, full of surprise. Hiccup nodded. Nodded and his lips came closer and closer and closer, but stopped. Astrid quickly leaned forward to stop him from thinking different.

Their lips met, and Astrid's body boiled up. They kissed and she realized it was Hiccup she loved, she desired. When Snotlout had kissed her once, confessing his love to her, it had felt different. Less pleasant and less exciting.

Snotlout and Ruffnut made their was to the storage house, where Gobber had set up two knives and quite a few pieces of wood for them to carve mugs out of. They sat down and a weird silence and started to shape the first two little wooden pieces . The oak wood was hard but their knives sharp. The silence grew and grew, until it made Ruffnut uncomfortable. Whenever she looked back at Snotlout, her eyes met hers and he would always turn his head away, trying to hide his face from her eyes. Was that really necessary? All that ignorance, really? Was it her or him? Why? And why would she care? She loved Hiccup, so why would she suddenly blush when he turned away? They together finished two mugs at least, and with eight more to go Ruffnut felt the silence unbearable.

"Ehm… well… You want me to tell you a secret?" she blurted out, and when he didn't make a move she continued.

"You know, I wanted to help Gobber when I overheard Stoick telling him about tonights feast. And guess what? This night we'll be able to participate!". Just saying that made Ruffnut boil over in excitement. And it really got onto Snotlout.

"You mean you heard Stoick tell Gobber that this year we'll have our first…?" he asked whispering, a great effort for a normally so loud boy.

"Yes" Ruffnut whispered back. Then she saw that, because the have come pretty close while whispering, he had turned his head away and the girl quickly turned to see his face. Had she ever noticed the deep hazel of his eyes? No, what was she thinking about? She liked Hiccup. But maybe…

"Do you think Astrid is pretty?" she suddenly asked him, putting her hand on top of his, which caused both of them to blush.

"Actually", Snotlout said quietly "I think you're prettier than Astrid."

That was it. She liked him. He was stupid, but adorable. Not the brightest, but the cutest. She leaned forward and planted a small kiss on his lips. It felt good. And he answered her with a more passionate kiss. So they sat and talked and carved Mead Mugs until nightfall had driven them out of Gobber's house.

Love.

The end


End file.
